Payout Percentages at Online Casinos and How They Work

Online casinos and the games they offer are programmed; that is to say, they operate by means of a computer program that determines how the various events unfold. Built into all of this is a payout percentage that works itself out in the long run. What's this all mean and how do we know what it is?

Well, the program is called the random number generator, otherwise known as the RNG, and it is supposed to conduct all the games using random numbers, which also means random results. That does not mean they are possible to "beat" in the long run, but it does mean that theoretically they are to be conducted fairly. But what if those games are not so random after all? Well, that is something that online casino customers need to have at least some confidence about.

There needs to be a payout percentage, as mentioned, that is built into these games. And those games include blackjack, craps, roulette, video poker and of course, pokies. They are supposed to return a certain percentage of every dollar put into them. And if that is the case, an online casino certainly wants the public to know about. Should the public take their word for it? Well, that depends, one supposes, on what kind of relationship and level of trust the consumer has in the casino he or she is doing business with. But there is certainly more confidence built if there is a trusted third party involved.

That is where an organization called eCOGRA comes into the picture. eCOGRA stands for e-Commerce and Online Gaming Regulation and Assistance, and what they do is conduct independent tests of the software that is being used to administer the games, and make the payout figures available for customers to see. eCOGRA is not "in the pocket" of any single online casino or casino group, and it is not a licensing entity. It is, in fact, a non-profit outfit that is engaged by those licensing jurisdictions that are conscientious enough to impose a certain standard on their licensees, or by the casinos themselves. When an online casino gets the "eCOGRA Safe and Fair Seal," it is generally considered to be a sign of verifiability and credibility, and customers can read all about it on the various websites.

There is no such thing as a standard payout percentage for any single game or single casino, although online casino software companies tend to establish them as something more uniform. There are software companies that allow their clients to tweak these percentages on their end to suit their needs.